CVM6202: Microbiology K.V.

Nagaraja

SALMONELLA
CVM6202: Microbiology K.V. Nagaraja

Learning Objectives

• To learn important characteristics of the agent

• To know species of importance
• To understand the pathogenesis and disease caused
by the agent
• Diagnosis and control of the disease caused by the
agent
CVM6202: Microbiology K.V. Nagaraja

SALMONELLA
• From the epidemiological point of view, Salmonella can
be classified into 3 main groups
Group 1: Those infecting only humans
Ex. S. typhi, Paratyphi A and C
Group 2: Those adapted for particular species of vertebrates
Ex. S. gallinarum for poultry, S. dublin in cattle,
S. abortus equi in horses, S. abortus ovis in sheep,
S. choleraesuis in swine. Some of these are also
pathogenic for humans. (S. dublin and S. choleraesuis)
Group 3: Salmonella types with no particular host preferences.
Infect both humans and animals (PARATYPHOIDS)
CVM6202: Microbiology K.V. Nagaraja

Genus: Salmonella

• Approximately 2200 serotypes are known to exist

based on 67 “O” antigen groups and numerous “H”
antigens recognized so far.

O antigens H antigens

• Members of the genus are given names based on:

1. Disease syndrome or animal from which they were first
isolated. Ex. S. choleraesuis, S. hadar
2. Place where they were first reported. Ex. S. heidelberg,
S. St. Paul
3. Antigenic formula
CVM6202: Microbiology K.V. Nagaraja

Antigenic Variation
• In Salmonella variations in antigenic
structure takes place
• Kinds of antigenic variations:
1. Phase Variation
2. H - O Variation
3. S - R Variation
4. Form Variation
a) O variation
b) V - W variation
CVM6202: Microbiology K.V. Nagaraja

H - O Variation

• Loss of H antigen or Flagella

• Usually proceeds in one direction only
i.e. flagellated “HO” form to the non-flagellated
“O” form
• Mutant non-motile resulting from motile one
• Spontaneous change from HO forms to O forms is
rare and most often irreversible
• Genetic material responsible for development of
the enzyme system that synthesizes the flagella is
lost or altered
CVM6202: Microbiology K.V. Nagaraja

“O” Antigen Variation

• O antigens of the genus Salmonella are designated by
Arabic numerals
• Ex. 1, 6, 12, 19, 24, 25, 27, 36, 37, 50
• Antigen 12 is made up of 3 components
Ex: 12(1), 12(2), and 12(3)
• The 12(2) component varies in that it is either strongly
or weakly developed. Some colonies contain large
amounts of 12(2)
So it is a quantitative difference in O antigen
• O form variation has been seen in some O antigens
Ex: 1, 6, and 12.
CVM6202: Microbiology K.V. Nagaraja

V - W Variation
This variation affects Vi antigen
Certain species have an outermost polysaccharide layer
called a Vi antigen, that is usually too thin to be seen
as a capsule
H antigen
Vi antigen

O antigen

O and H antigens remain unchanged

Quantitative antigenic changes which take place in Vi
antigen are called the V - W variation
CVM6202: Microbiology K.V. Nagaraja

S - R Variation
Smooth to Rough variation
• Change from smooth to rough forms
• Known to occur in practically all bacteria
• Are not abrupt - is a gradual loss of O antigen thus
exposing the core polysaccharide
• Rough organisms give non-specific agglutination
• Low in virulence, can be used as vaccine strains
• The flagellar antigens are unchanged in this
dissociation
CVM6202: Microbiology K.V. Nagaraja

Phase Variation

• Flagellar antigens are proteins in nature

• They are localized in the flagella of motile species
• In contrast to somatic or “O” antigens, flagellar antigens
are destroyed by boiling
• They often exist in one of two different degrees of
specificity called phases
• An individual bacterial cell will have flagella composed
of antigens either in phase 1 or in phase 2
• Cultures of a serotype may contain mixtures of
individual bacteria, some in phase 1 and some in phase 2
CVM6202: Microbiology K.V. Nagaraja

Phase Variation

• Bacteria which are originally in one phase may switch

to the other phase during multiplication. This switch is
called phase variation.
• Some Salmonella are monophasic and others are non-
motile. Non-motile strains do not demonstrate phase
variation
• Identification of both phases is necessary for the
identification of a serotype
• Flagellar antigens are denatured by heat, alcohol and
dilute acids
CVM6202: Microbiology K.V. Nagaraja

Salmonellosis in humans

• Caused by certain Salmonella serotypes

• Salmonella paratyphi A, S. paratyphi B,
S. paratyphi C, S. typhi
• Only in humans
• Human infections are also caused by non-host
adapted Salmonella
CVM6202: Microbiology K.V. Nagaraja

Human Salmonellosis

• Salmonella typhi : typhoid fever

Typical symptoms may be preceded by acute
gastroenteritis coming on shortly after
consumption of infected water or food

• Diarrhea, vomiting, abdominal tenderness,

death in some cases
CVM6202: Microbiology K.V. Nagaraja

Human Salmonellosis
• Salmonella typhi (typhoid fever) 7 - 14 days incubation
• Ingestion- multiplies in the GI tract, enter intestinal
lymphatics, disseminated throughout the body by the blood
stream
• Typhoid bacillus localizes in the gall bladder, bile ducts. It
may persist here for many years after convalescence
• Relapses may occur during convalescence due to reinvasion
of blood stream from the tissues in which typhoid bacilli are
still proliferating
• Diagnosis: Culture of blood, feces, urine or bile
• Inactivated bacterins are used as vaccines
CVM6202: Microbiology K.V. Nagaraja

Salmonellosis in Humans

• 40,000 cases reported annually

• 2,000,000 cases estimated annually
• Medical expenses and lost productivity estimated
to be $553 to $988 million annually
• Cost to industry- The milkborne 1985 outbreak
resulted in 20,000 litigations and the plant was
closed from poor publicity
CVM6202: Microbiology K.V. Nagaraja

Salmonellosis in Poultry

• Poultry constitute an important animal reservoir for

Salmonella
• A very wide variety of serotypes have been isolated
from chickens, turkeys, ducks, and other species of
domestic poultry
CVM6202: Microbiology K.V. Nagaraja

Salmonellosis in Poultry

• S. gallinarum and S. pullorum

S. pullorum:
World-wide in its distribution, National schemes (NPIP-
National Poultry Improvement Plan) have reduced the
incidence of this disease in the U.S.
Adult birds may be symptomless carriers of the disease
Ovaries are the organs where infection commonly persists
A proportion of eggs laid by adults with infected ovaries
contain S. pullorum in the yolks
CVM6202: Microbiology K.V. Nagaraja

S. pullorum Infection

• Hatching of chicks from infected eggs constitutes a serious

source of infections for all the remaining chicks in an
incubator and hatcher
• The feces of infected chicks contaminate the environment
thus spreading infection to other chicks
• Chicks which may survive infection may become
symptomless carriers of S. pullorum, excrete the organism in
feces. S. pullorum can survive in the litter for several months
• All turkey and chicken breeder flocks are tested for the
presence of infection. Use agglutination test. MN -free of
S. pullorum in domestic turkey breeders (1974)
CVM6202: Microbiology K.V. Nagaraja
CVM6202: Microbiology K.V. Nagaraja

Salmonella gallinarum
Fowl typhoid

• The cycle of infection from the hen to the chick, as

occurs in pullorum disease, can also take place with
S. gallinarum
• It is more usual, however, for fowl typhoid to develop
as a disease of varying severity among growing birds
and adult stock
• Common route of infection is by ingestion
• The severity of outbreaks can vary from acute with
high mortality rates to chronic infection
CVM6202: Microbiology K.V. Nagaraja

Fowl Typhoid
• When the disease occurs in young chicks the
symptoms are indistinguishable from pullorum
disease
• Mortality rate can go up to 50% or more
• Diarrhea with greenish colored feces, purple
discoloration of comb and wattles
• Diagnosis: Culture liver, spleen, and heart blood
Disease not present in MN in domestic turkey
breeding flocks
CVM6202: Microbiology K.V. Nagaraja
CVM6202: Microbiology K.V. Nagaraja
CVM6202: Microbiology K.V. Nagaraja

Non-host adapted Salmonella

• Other non-host adapted Salmonella types also infect
poultry
• Contaminated animal by-products (Meat and Bone
meal) used in animal feeds
• Contaminated hatcheries, environment
• Egg transmission from infected breeder flocks
• Day-old antibiotic (Gentamycin and Spectinomycin)
injection is practiced in many hatcheries
CVM6202: Microbiology K.V. Nagaraja

Salmonellosis in Cattle
• Salmonella dublin and Salmonella typhimurium are
the most common causes of bovine Salmonellosis
• Affect cattle of all ages, disease may be acute or
chronic. Calves are more susceptible to infection than
adults
• Adult cattle infected with S. dublin may act as
symptomless carriers, excrete the organism
intermittently in the feces
• S. dublin can survive in feces for 2-4 months.
Pastures, food, and water may become contaminated
from feces of carrier animals or aborted fetuses and
fetal membranes.
CVM6202: Microbiology K.V. Nagaraja

Salmonella infection in cattle

• Salmonella typhimurium: A non-host adapted Salmonella

• Occurs in 2-6 week old calves
• Infection of cattle may originate from disease in another
animal species or from cattle
• Pathogenesis is similar to infection with S. dublin except that
the development of chronic carriers over a period of several
years does not occur frequently
• Fever, diarrhea with brown or greenish-brown feces with
blood sometimes
• Sometimes arthritis, pneumonia, encephalitis may be evident
CVM6202: Microbiology K.V. Nagaraja

Salmonella infection in cattle

• Adult cattle: go off their milk, run high temperature.

Blood may appear in the feces and followed by a
stinking which may contain shreds of mucus
membrane. The cow becomes very weak and rapidly
goes down and may die in 1 to 5 days
• If death does not occur, diarrhea, emaciation may
continue for sometime before recovery finally ensues
• If the cow is pregnant abortion may occur
CVM6202: Microbiology K.V. Nagaraja

Salmonella infection in cattle

• Non-host adapted Salmonella types have also

been reported in the cattle
• Human infection results through consumption of
raw or improperly pasteurized milk, milk
products or contaminated beef
CVM6202: Microbiology K.V. Nagaraja

Salmonellosis in pigs

• S. choleraesuis, S. typhisuis, and non-host adapted types

• Salmonella choleraesuis var kunzendorf is the most
common type in the US and causes necrotic enteritis
• Incubation period is usually several days, mode of
infection is mainly by ingestion
• S. typhisuis is antigenically related to S. choleraesuis,
not common, Causes intermittent diarrhea, emaciation,
lesions in the lymph nodes and intestine, generalized
sepsis
• S. typhimurium is also an important cause of disease in
pigs
CVM6202: Microbiology K.V. Nagaraja

Non-host adapted Salmonella in pigs

• Less frequently a wide variety of other non-host

adapted Salmonella types have been isolated from
both diseased animals and from mesentric lymph
glands, intestinal tracts and other sites in the
carcases of apparently healthly animals at
slaughter.
• Salmonella in swine - a source for humans
CVM6202: Microbiology K.V. Nagaraja

Salmonella infection in Horses

• In the US the most common types have been

S. typhimurium, S. enteritidis, S. newport, and
S. heidelberg
• Young animals are particularly susceptible
• Stress apparently has a major role in the initiation of
clinical disease and predisposing factors including
surgery, passing nasogastric tubes, concurrent illness
• High temperature, colicky pains are frequenty the first
symptoms followed by diarrhea
CVM6202: Microbiology K.V. Nagaraja

Salmonella infection in Dogs

• Salmonella can be found in the feces of many

normal dogs, intermittent diarrhea is all that
one might expect in infected adults
• Many different types can be seen in dogs
• Puppies are more susceptible
• Adults rarely develop septicemia
CVM6202: Microbiology K.V. Nagaraja

Salmonella infection in Cats

• Many different types of Salmonella have been isolated
• Cats are affected by eating usually contaminated food,
wild rats and mice and contact with feces of other
animals
• Kittens are more susceptible than adults
• Cats may be carriers without showing symptoms
• In kittens, acute or subacute outbreaks of enteritis with
or without septicemia may occur
• In adult cats, intermittent diarrhea, vomiting may occur
sometimes
CVM6202: Microbiology K.V. Nagaraja

Salmonella infection in Sheep

• Many Salmonella types have been isolated from sheep

• Most common in some countries: S. typhimurium
• Raised temperature in most cases scouring is usually
present, passing of blood in feces is occasionally noted
• In acute Salmonellosis, a severe watery putrid diarrhea
occurs and a high proportion of sheep die
• In some cases persistent scouring of greenish or yellowish
paint like material with a foul smell is the striking symptom
• Overcrowding, housed together
• Pregnant animals may die of septicemia before aborting.
Aborted fetus and placenta -highly contaminated
CVM6202: Microbiology K.V. Nagaraja

Salmonella in wild animals

• Turtles: Rearing turtles for sale in contaminated

stagnent water particularly where a heavy sewage
contamination exists has led to a high level of
Salmonella
• In some establishments in the USA, 25-50% of these
animals were found to be actively excreting
Salmonella
• In 1975 the interstate shipment of turtles was banned
in US
CVM6202: Microbiology K.V. Nagaraja

Salmonella in wild animals and birds

• Infection of wild animals and birds reflect contamination of
their environment
• A source of infection to domestic animals
• S. typhimurium is the commonest Salmonella found in
captive birds. Infection is particularly frequent in canaries.
Captive birds are at particular risk of being exposed to
Salmonella because surplus feed tends to attract rodents and
wild birds
• Homing pigeons very frequently suffer from Salmonellosis.
In large cities wild pigeons may theoretically pose a risk to
humans
• Pet turtles and iguanas -source of human infection
CVM6202: Microbiology K.V. Nagaraja

Salmonella in feed

• Use of improperly cooked animal by-products in

animal feed